Investigators Americans characterize a correlation between the emissions of the ships and the increase of the intensity of the stormy perturbations



A study published on the scientific magazine "Geophysical Research published Letters" from American Geophysical Union (AGU) characterizes a correlation between the intensity of the stormy phenomena and the intensity of the marine traffic on some main world-wide routes. The study of the American investigators Joel Thornton, Katrina Virts, Robert Holzworth and Todd Mitchell finds that the thunderstorms happened in the marine areas in which two of the naval routes sold of the world journey more have turned out very more rape regarding those in marine areas not covered by a consisting naval traffic.

Tracing a mapping of the stormy perturbations happen all over the world, the four investigators Americans have observed that the number of lightnings on the broken traded ones that they cross the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea is double regarding that of adjacent marine areas that anticipate an analogous climate.

In particular, Katrina Virts, researcher near NASA Marshall Space Flight Center di Huntsville, in Alabama, analyzing the data supplied from the World Wide Lightning Location Network, a net of sensors that characterizes the lightnings all over the world, have noticed a almost rectilinear line of lightnings that crosses the Indian Ocean. Virts and its connect have confronted the relative data to the position of the lightnings with the maps generated from a total database on the emissions of the ships. Analyzing the position of 1,5 billion he fulminate fallen from 2005 to 2016, the investigators have found that the medium number of lightnings on the main routes covered from the ships that cross the northern Indian Ocean, journey for the Strait of Malacca, than every year she records the passage almost 100 thousand ships, and cross the Sea Chinese Medirionale is double regarding that of adjacent areas of the ocean that anticipate characteristic climatic similar.

The investigators have considered that the difference of intensity of the stormy manifestations cannot be explained with the climatic changes and has concluded that the emitted aerosoliche particles with gases of drainage of the ships on how have an infuence with which stormy clouds they form themselves on the oceans.

Therefore, according to the researchers, the emissions of the ships can contribute to determine the level of intensity of perturbations stormy, as contained particles in drainage gases return more small the water drops in clouds and contribute to their increase in the atmosphere, creating with this ice a greater particle number that creates more lightnings.

According to the authors, the study offers the first tests that the human activities are determining a change of the formation of clouds on base almost continue rather than because of a single event as for example a fire. The investigators have emphasized that the formation of clouds can influence the atmospheric precipitations and alter the climate modifying the reflected solar radiation quantity in the space.

"Draft - it has evidenced Joel Thornton, investigator near the University of Washington to Seattle and main author of the study - of one of the clearest examples than as the human beings are changing the intensity of the stormy perturbations through the emission of particulate matter from the combustion processes". "It is indeed first time - Daniel Rosenfeld has confirmed, investigator near the Hebrew University of Jerusalem - that we have a "smoking gun", that demonstrates as on pristine oceanic areas the amount of lightnings is more than doubled. The study shows in unambiguous way the relation between the anthropic emissions, in this case produced from diesel engines, and which extended convettive clouds".

"I consider - Steven Sherwood has commented, investigator near the University of New South Wales di Sydney - that is an indeed interesting study because constitutes the more concrete test that I have seen on the fact that the aerosoliche emissions can influence which extended convettive clouds, intensify them and increase their electrification. We are emitting many things in the atmosphere, between which much atmospheric pollution, particulate matter, and we do not know which it is the impact on clouds. In order much time is reigned the uncertainty. This study - it has concluded Sherwood - is not resolutive, but a small opening opens us putting to us in a position to going one step further in answering to some of the greater issues about the impacts of our emissions on clouds".